I love this chapter. :3 You will too...I hope!

The water below Sasuke's dangling feet rippled every time his toes would touch the surface. He watched his reflection warp and then become normal again. This time of year was perfect to go fishing at the dock and he remembered coming to this very spot with a few of his cousins. It was back in simpler days; back when being a ninja was still a far off memory and the only worry on his mind was making it back home in time for dinner. But instead of seeing a smiling young face in the water, he saw an older and angry image. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't the same kid anymore, thanks to his brother. The sun's rays were warm on his face and he shielded his eyes to watch a bird swoop down to the water then curve back into the sky.

"Still sitting with a hunch in your back, I see." Sasuke's skin tingled with goose bumps as an old familiar voice registered in his ears. There was only one person who would nag at his awful posture. He pulled up his feet quickly to see his father standing on the dock with him. He looked exactly like he remembered; graying hair and icy cool eyes that would even put Naruto in his place.

"Father…" He said while a sense of joy bubbled inside. So many years passed and only nightmares of his family plagued him. But now, actual contact was being made. He wasn't sure how or why, but he truly enjoyed it. Sasuke's father crossed his arms, a very small smile registering on his lips. In fact, to the normal passerby, they would consider it a frown but to Sasuke it meant the world to him.

"Sasuke, where is the pendant that was handed down to you?" Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but he suddenly felt very childish as if his father was back to scold him even in death. The truth was he was careless with it and threw it away. Oh wait… Hinata had it last.

"It's in good hands." Sasuke said grimly. His father closed his eyes as if he was calculating his next response.

"It should be in your hands. You are an Uchiha and I didn't raise you to be careless." That familiar harsh voice he remembered from his child hood was almost music to his ears. Even though his father was stern, much like Hyuuga Hiashi, Sasuke had missed it. He had little to no guidance after his clan's passing so even though he was getting scolded, he welcomed it.

"I-I'm sorry." Sasuke said sheepishly. No one ever talked to him like that and it was strange to see such a high and mighty person being talked down to. But it was his father after all and if this was the time he got with him, then fine. "Father… I don't deserve anything you left."

"Nonsense." Sasuke's father quickly struck down that statement and approached his son closer. The wind blew in, creating small choppy waves in the water. Sasuke remembered as a child he only came to his father's waist. Now he was well at his shoulders. "Is this how you want us to be remembered?" Sasuke's gaze focused elsewhere as if he was ashamed.

"I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't get my revenge, I couldn't rebuild the district and I couldn't control my anger." Sasuke said flatly as if he was talking more to himself. His father frowned and was silent for a moment.

"Do you remember when I taught you the fire ball technique, Sasuke?" He remembered it as if it were yesterday. Sasuke could even remember the twinge of the burns that had formed around his lips. He slowly nodded. "How many times did it take you to master it?"

"Well…" Sasuke's voice trailed off as he tried to count.

"It took many times, but you did it. Can you tell me why you did it?" Sasuke was confused for a moment and he couldn't form an answer.

"You did it for me, not for your own benefit." There was silence as he paused. "How long did it take you to master the Chidori and other petty jutsus?" His father went on as if in lecture mode. He must be referring to his time spent with Orochimaru as those 'petty jutsus'. Sasuke lowered his head, his eye brows narrowing. His father continued.

"It took many times, but you did it. Why? For Itachi. And now, Sasuke, you try to do something for yourself and you cannot." There was silence again and Sasuke finally found the courage to look back at his father.

"Not just for me, for the Uchiha!" He tried to explain. This was frustrating him. His father had been watching him all along.

"You are an Uchiha. You can cast yourself aside until the day you die but the blood that runs through your veins is from me, your grandfather, and everyone else. The Sharingan that turns in your eyes is a part of being an Uchiha too." Sasuke frowned. His father uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on his son's shoulders.

"You are my son. Stop worrying about what you think you have failed at and what you have excelled at. The time for revenge is gone; the time to be angry is gone." His father's hands returned to his side. Sasuke felt like something heavy had been lifted from his shoulders with it and he nodded.

"I…" He said trying not to let his voice crack. "I will make you proud, father." They both shared a smile. Sasuke was used to his father being very short, often offering advice through strange riddles. But now it was loud and clear.

"You always have made me proud, Sasuke. Don't settle for anything but greatness." And that was the last thing his father said to him before everything dissolved around him.

Loud banging of a hammer awoke him from his deep slumber and Sasuke couldn't open his eye lids any faster. He sat up straight, and looked around at his surroundings. Where…am I? Memories of his former team coming at him and Hinata flooded back and he rubbed his eyes groggily. The pounding kept interrupting his thoughts and he looked at the window to his left irritably. He didn't recognize where he was at all—it wasn't a hospital and it wasn't his house back in Kusagakure. Sasuke gazed around the room and he decided it was someone's bedroom. The hammer stopped, and he began to get curious. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, he stood up.

"About damn time you got up." A familiar voice caused him to look at the doorway and there stood Masaru with a hammer in his hand. Sasuke was extremely confused.

"Old man?"

"Knock that shit off. I've told you a million times, I'm not old." Masaru said and pointed his hammer at him threateningly. Sasuke realized he must be back in Konoha but he had no idea where he was. Perhaps in a temporary loft until Tsunade could figure out what she wanted to do with him. He crossed his arms.

"Where am I?" Masaru paused and gave him a look of 'oh, you don't know?'. He walked into the room and rested a hand on his hip.

"Well, I suppose you would call it home." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Sasuke was still confused, but his brain began to slowly piece together what was going on. This was…his home? He just stared at the man before him and Masaru scowled. "Normal people say 'thank you' but I guess you never really were normal to begin with." Sasuke ignored that. He had a million questions swirling in his brain.

"How? Why?" He blurted out, not sure where to start. Masaru laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Most of it was Hinata's doing. She convinced me to keep building long before you left. But I was gonna do it anyway. Be damn thankful of that woman 'cause she busted her ass looking for you." Sasuke looked away sheepishly. Damnit, I'm not good at this stuff.

"Where is she?"

"Check the garden." Masaru said with a twinkle in his eye. His stomach churned and he suddenly felt nervous for some reason, but Sasuke took this opportunity to check out the house. Everything was just as it had been planned when Masaru first mapped it out. It was simple, but it was also a close replica of his previous home in the Uchiha District. He walked over to a wall and noticed that the photos he had found in his box were hanging in frames. Everything was perfect. Sasuke had never felt so grateful before. Even though Masaru was ordered by the Hokage to help him build the house, he went of his way to continue to build…all for him.

Sasuke eventually found his way outside on the wooden walkway that surrounded his home. He looked over in the direction of the garden and he was slightly taken back. It was beautiful. There were many flowers that had bloomed and it looked nothing like it did before he left. Sasuke found the courage to walk out towards it. The entire time his heart raced; he was nervous to approach Hinata but at the same time he missed her dearly. As he got closer, he noticed something different as well. Sasuke had never paid attention to how the layout of the garden would be so it was quite the surprise. The garden was laid out in a half circle and in the middle was a large gleaming stone slightly bigger than the one for Konoha's memorial.

And then he saw her. Hinata had a watering can as she showered the flowers with bright droplets of water. The breeze blew back her hair gently as it always did and he stopped to watch her for a moment. She did this for me. All of this was for me. But why? Hinata turned around and gasped gently when she saw he was watching her.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun…" Hinata whispered. She put down the watering can as he approached her. They stood in front of the memorial, and Sasuke looked over at it.

"Hyuuga," He said. Her cheeks flushed. Hinata wondered if perhaps he was angry with her for forcibly making him return to Konoha. He looked back towards her, his face expressionless. On the inside his brain was swarming with questions and his stomach wasn't settling right. There were many things he wanted to ask and say to her, but he was feeling almost stage fright. She opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry…for… you know." Her voice trailed off trying to reference when she basically paralyzed and knocked him unconscious. Sasuke frowned and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't know you cared that much." He said, almost teasingly. And if Hinata hadn't of known of his dry humor she might have been embarrassed. Her cheeks did grow warm at that though. "Honestly, I figured your father, or your cousin, would have gotten to me first."

"I wouldn't allow it." Hinata said suddenly. Sasuke smirked; he was amused at how she thought she had authority over her father and Neji. His eyes wandered down innocently to her chest and noticed that the Uchiha pendant was gleaming in the sun. Father… Hinata noticed he was staring at the pendant and she looked panicked almost. "Oh… I'm sorry. Here." She took it off gently and held it out to him. Sasuke took it and looked at it in his open hand.

"It looked better on you." He said simply which prompted a blush from the Hyuuga. Sasuke slipped it on over his head and it rested on his chest. He suddenly felt happier. "How did you use it to find me?"

"Oh. Well…" Hinata recalled back to time when Tsunade had approached her at the hospital with the new jutsu. "It t-took a while to master, because it needed a lot of concentration. I just held it in my hand before my Byakugan and I was able to see farther than usual, too." Sasuke chewed on that for thought.

"But I was hundreds of miles away." Hinata nodded.

"Yes. It took a considerable amount of chakra and concentration. It's a forbidden jutsu for the Hyuuga's…mainly because it could cause significant damage not only to our eyes but our nervous system as well." Sasuke stared at her astonished. Hinata noticed his facial features soften.

"B-But I was trained correctly by my father of course." She added reassuringly. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes.

"So he doesn't want to kill me, then?" He said. Hinata smiled gently and shook her head. Sasuke was surprised that not only was Hinata able to master a jutsu such as that but to be willingly trained by her father as well. His eyes traveled over to the memorial and he knelt down to observe it. It was a rectangular rock with a large plaque in the middle; every name of the Uchiha clan was engraved…including Uchiha Itachi. His fingers ran over his name and he began to feel anger again. Sasuke gripped the pendant in his other hand, remembering what his father told him. The time to be angry is gone.

"Um… I hope this memorial is okay." Hinata's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Sasuke didn't say anything for a few seconds, and he stood up.

"It's perfect." Sasuke said so quietly that Hinata almost missed what he said. She beamed upon hearing it. He looked over at her and the smile on her lips gave him a funny feeling in his stomach. Sasuke had been on edge for the past eight months and even beyond that. Ever since he returned to Konoha, nothing settled right with him. But now he felt more at ease and more at...home.

"Why did you do all this? Why did you go out of your way to find me?" Sasuke asked almost accusingly. Hinata's cheeks returned to their rosy color and she avoided his gaze. The truth was…she wasn't entirely sure. She had a hard time saying no to people, but this certainly wasn't just a case of 'Hinata being nice'. Hinata chewed on her lip, searching for the right answer.

"Um… well, because we're friends?" Hinata managed to come up with something. Sasuke rolled his eyes at her poor answer and moved closer to her.

"Bullshit, Hyuuga." He said and she looked up to see him just inches away from her face. "Tell me the real reason why." Sasuke was challenging her feelings. Hinata had thought about him endlessly for the past eight months; between helping the rebuilding process of the house to the garden all the way to learning a new and dangerous jutsu just to track him down. Hinata frowned, now seeing how silly her answer was to him.

"I…" Hinata could barely breathe and her knees were shaking. Sasuke was so close to her almost like the time he tried to kiss her before. She could smell the earthy scent from the soap he used and it was enticing. Sasuke was getting closer as his hand reached up to cup her cheek and she closed her eyes, just waiting. She had always thought about it, especially after he had already tried before. Her first kiss…

"SASUKE-SAN!" Their moment was promptly interrupted by a bounding Taro who was running like the wind from the newly built house. Hinata heard Sasuke growl as he pulled away to look over. She had to smile as she, too, watched Taro run up to them. He jumped into Sasuke's arms and he was instantly annoyed. He looked over at Hinata who was hiding a laugh behind her fingers.

"Forgot about him…" Sasuke grumbled while Taro asked questions at rapid fire.

"Where were you!? Did you miss me? Did you miss Hinata-san? Do you like your new house? Where were you!?" Taro beamed brightly when Sasuke answered all of his questions with rather short responses. He squirmed out of Sasuke's arms and latched onto Hinata's legs.

"Taro, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be helping your grandfather?" Hinata said with a smile. His eyes went wide.

"Oh yeah… I have a secret message for Sasuke-san." Taro let go and looked to the Uchiha. "Tsunade-sama is waiting for you at the house! She sure is scary." Sasuke furrowed his brows and looked back at Hinata. She seemed just as confused.

"Well now… welcome back, Uchiha." Tsunade said as Sasuke and Hinata entered the main room of the house. She was sitting at the dinner table with her hands folded and in front of her sat an all too familiar box.

"G-Good afternoon, Tsunade-sama." Hinata smiled politely and Sasuke didn't bother with a proper greeting.

"Lovely new home. Congratulations." Tsunade said rather genuinely.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked coolly. Tsunade felt a vein in her forehead twitch as she ignored that. I'm starting to wonder if he enjoys pissing me off…

"Ch… I figured you would have gotten better manners after spending so much time with Hinata." Sasuke rolled his eyes, but then they settled upon the box. He walked towards the table and sat down across from her. Hinata followed and sat down as well.

"Is that…?" Sasuke was referring to the box. He remembered seeing his own box in his bedroom before he left so it could only belong to one other person. Tsunade nodded gently and pushed it forward to him.

"Yes, this box once belonged to Uchiha Itachi."

"Did you go through it?" Sasuke asked irritably. Tsunade scowled. He wasn't showing much gratitude considering all the things that not only she but many other people had done for him since his return.

"Of course I did." She snapped and crossed her arms. "But after analyzing it, there wasn't anything suspicious." Sasuke frowned at the box and pulled it closer to him. It was certainly in better shape than his. The wood was smoother to the touch and the Uchiha symbol was brighter. Sasuke remembered that his was buried simply under dirt so it seemed to make more sense. He then looked over at Hinata, who was also staring at the box with her Byakugan.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry." Hinata felt embarrassed as if he had caught her peaking.

"What did you see?"

"Well… it emits chakra just like yours did, Sasuke-kun." He looked over at the Fifth Hokage as if he needed her approval, and then he slowly opened the box. Inside, there were similar scrolls to the ones found in Sasuke's. Instead of a pendant that Sasuke had received, there was an old looking ring. He picked it up to look at it closer. It was silver with a red Uchiha symbol on the top.

Suddenly, his surroundings blurred. Sasuke looked around cautiously and he seemed to be in what looked like a hotel room. His eyes gazed over at a figure sitting on the bed, and it was his brother. Something was strange as he wasn't wearing his usual Akatsuki robe. Sasuke opened his mouth to call out to him, but it was as if he didn't exist. He seemed to be stuck in a memory or a wrinkle in time. All he could do was watch helplessly. Itachi opened the box that sat in his lap and then looked down the Uchiha ring that was on his finger. He stared at it for quite some time before sliding it off his finger and putting it in the box. Itachi closed it, and from his pocket he pulled out the infamous Akatsuki ring. Sasuke could feel rage boiling in his body as he tried to scream at his brother. No….! Itachi put the ring on, and stood up before putting the box underneath some loose floorboards.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata's soft voice pulled him out of the memory and Tsunade was staring at him intently.

"Genjutsu?" She asked. Sasuke had to blink a few times to refocus on where he was. The ring seemed so mysterious, but he knew what had happened. It was Itachi's final farewell to the Uchiha's… by replacing his Uchiha ring with the Akatsuki's.

"It's nothing." Sasuke lied and put the ring back in the box. The Fifth Hokage leaned forward with her elbows on the table.

"Tell me, Sasuke. Have you been having strange dreams?" She asked with a more serious tone. His stomach began to churn and he stared at her. How does she know? His silence indicated that she had hit the nail right on the head. "We did some research from the scrolls in Itachi's box."

"Research?"

"Yes. The same seals on your scrolls were on Itachi's. But they are a different kind of seal." She said as she watched his expression.

"Yeah, they were special seals only an Uchiha can break." He said with impatience.

"Mmm, yes. They also open a very small portal through dreams. It is similar to genjutsu, but instead of having a caster, it is activated through the breaking of the seal." Sasuke frowned. So it wasn't real?

"So, my dreams are just a part of a genjutsu?"

"Yes and no." Tsunade said. "By the book? Yes but in my mind, no." Hinata was just as confused as Sasuke was. She kept quiet but her hands fidgeted in her lap. Tsunade smiled slightly and tried to make it easier to understand.

"Sasuke, this is a very rare occurrence. The Uchiha clan was full of mystery that not even the Third Hokage knew much about them. They were always making innovating jutsus that could be used in the field, so it is possible they created a different type of genjutsu to somehow still keep in touch with those departed through dreams." Tsunade said. "So while it is not the typical genjutsu you might see Kurenai-sensei use, it is much more powerful." Hinata frowned.

"T-Tsunade-sama… why isn't there a lot of information about the Uchiha clan?" Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms.

"Mostly internal matters… the Uchiha clan never seemed to get along with anyone including the Third Hokage. My guess is that they were very private and left little behind." Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt about this. He already knew that his clan never got along with the others in the village, but the fact that they were creating and building off of powerful jutsus was something that made him secretly smile inside. There was one thing bothering him, though.

"I've been having dreams about Orochimaru." He said bluntly. "They feel real and…" Sasuke stopped before he said anything more that made him look weak. Tsunade stared at him, almost alarmed at this. She thought that name was long gone from conversation. That bastard… he's still trying to hang on!

"Well, he's probably using the portal in the dreams to reach you." Tsunade muttered after a few moments of silence. "And my guess is it has something to do with the curse mark. Even though it's gone to the naked eye, there still might be something lingering." Sasuke was silent as he processed this information. After a while, he looked to her.

"Can he hurt me?" Not that Sasuke really cared; he had made Orochimaru bleed on many occasions as well as almost kill him. Tsunade bowed her head in thought with a solid frown on her face.

"That I don't know. I will have to do some digging around." Tsunade stood up. "Come see me in a few days and we'll figure out what to do." Sasuke stood up with the box in his hands. He simply turned and disappeared into his bedroom. Hinata smiled and bowed.

"Ah… t-thank you Tsunade-sama." The Fifth Hokage sighed with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" She said, her face becoming more serious.

"Oh… fine." Tsunade's frown deepened.

"Remember, I'm keeping you off any missions for a few weeks. Naruto told me you had trouble trying to bring the Uchiha back." Hinata blushed out of embarrassment and she lowered her head. Hinata remembered that after Sasuke lost consciousness, she collapsed from utter exhaustion. Not only was her chest wound still in the process of healing all the way, but the forbidden jutsu was very hard on her. Even with all the training she did with her father and all the concentration, it still had its affects just like the Sharingan had on Kakashi.

"H-Hai." Tsunade nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait… I um… I have a question." Hinata said, and the Fifth Hokage glanced over at her behind her shoulder. "I have been having dreams too with Sasuke's mother." Tsunade thought for a moment before smiling.

"Perhaps they've noticed how close you've gotten to Sasuke. Don't worry… those dreams are harmless. Consider yourself lucky that they were willing to contact you." Hinata watched her disappear outside and then heard Masaru's loud voice as they struck up a rather heated conversation. Something about him still owing her… Hinata had to smile. She turned to see where Sasuke had gone, almost unsure if she should enter his bedroom. The door was still open, so Hinata peeked her head in. Sasuke was sitting on the bed with the ring on the palm of his hand. Hinata bit her lower lip and thought maybe she would leave him alone.

"Hinata," Sasuke said and she found the courage to enter his room.

"Yes?" She cautiously sat next to him on the edge of the bed, making sure it wasn't too close. Sasuke stared apathetically at the ring before folding his fingers over it.

"What did my mother say in the dream?" He asked gently as he recalled her talking about it during their confrontation. Hinata's features softened and she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"She said to be patient and…" Her voice trailed off. "That she was glad someone was helping you." Sasuke couldn't help but smile, also remembering the time he was reunited with his mother. But she was right; Sasuke was lucky to have Hinata by his side. They were both silent for a while, and Hinata figured it was time for her to go. She had to meet with Neji for some evening training. Getting to her feet she smoothed down her jacket.

"I will see you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun." She said with a smile. He watched her stand up and thought for a moment. Before she had a chance to walk away, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Hinata squeaked as she was pulled and found herself sitting in Sasuke's lap. Her cheeks were on fire and the color of a tomato. In a rare moment(for both), he held her close to his chest with her cradled in his arms. She could hear his heart beating fast, but it wasn't as fast as hers.

"Thank you… Hinata." Sasuke said and she could feel the vibration of his voice. Had this of happened with Naruto, she probably would have fainted. But being with Sasuke wasn't 'hot and heavy' like it was with Naruto. With Sasuke it felt cool, calm and right. He pulled her away slightly to look at her and he stared into those lavender eyes. His face was emotionless but he had a brain running rampant with happiness and desire. She looked so beautiful to him; cheeks were pink, lips were plump and her eyes seemed to be staring into his soul. Sasuke leaned down and let his lips touch hers gently. Hinata could have died in his arms a happy woman.

It was soft, warm, sensual, and everything she ever dreamed of. She recalled Sakura and Ino discussing how they thought their first kisses would be like Sasuke (of course they never had the chance). Hinata never really thought much of it until now but she was in the arms of the most desirable man in Konoha. But it wasn't that that made it so thrilling. It was how comfortable and content she felt even though she was clearly on the lap of a man-SASUKE for that matter. It was a very intimate moment that Hinata would normally lose consciousness over due to her own modesty. Sasuke pulled away after a few seconds and she saw a small smile spread across his lips- a real, genuine smile.

Still not satisfied, Hinata took a bold move and reached up to pull him down again to her lips. The second kiss was longer, more passionate, and something Hinata decided she enjoyed. If only Kiba could see her now.